


Moving Forward

by dietcokeenthusiast



Series: Her Teacher, Her Emperor [10]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Comfort, F/F, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-08-20 09:55:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20225932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dietcokeenthusiast/pseuds/dietcokeenthusiast
Summary: After receiving news of Arianrhod, Edelgard is deep in her frustrations, while Byleth looks to the most certain and determined woman she knows for direction.





	Moving Forward

Edelgard was deathly silent when she left the last Strikeforce meeting. Everyone had been so willing to believe what she had told them that it simultaneously relieved and frightened her. Officially, the destruction of the city of Arianrhod and the murder of its citizenry would be a crime laid at the feet of the church, yet another bloody entry on a long list. Truthfully, though, the blame belonged with those who slither in the dark, another blood price paid for their alliance.

Returning to her chambers, Edelgard felt enraged. She hated that so many innocents had to suffer for the sake of them sending a message. She detested that the circumstances forced them to work together. She was furious that it would be a while before they faced the justice they deserved. Yet despite her feelings, she knew that it was not the time to act. As deserving as it was, a premature move against those who slither in the dark would only lead to the downfall of all she had worked to achieve. Taking a seat and grabbing a book, she tried to distract herself until her “guest” would arrive.

A half hour later, Byleth arrived at her chambers. Rather than entering, flopping on the bed, and asking Edelgard about her day as she often did, though, she held the door open. Her expression was inscrutable, aside from a very clear exhaustion in her eyes. “El?”

“Hm?” Edelgard looked up at Byleth, temporarily pulled away from her frustrations.

“Let’s take a little walk. The balcony garden is a nice view.”

Edelgard raised an eyebrow. Byleth was usually all too eager to come in and pull her into her arms. Still, she was fine with indulging Byleth, getting up from her chair to accompany her, linking her arm with hers.

Byleth cracked the slightest of smiles as she led her out, and down the hall to the small little garden just outside. Edelgard had of course taken note of it once she took control of Garreg Mach, but hadn’t spent a great deal of time there in all those years. It actually was a wonderful view, overlooking the walls of Garrg Mach and the town below. The sunset painted the sky beautiful shades of red and orange, making her nostalgic for past days, when she had the time to appreciate nature.

“So, they’ve done it again.”

Byleth’s statement immediately pulls Edelgard out of her reverie. “What do you mean?”

“Those who slither in the dark,” Byleth replied, her expression still unchanging. “They’ve come a long way from Remire.”

Edelgard sighed. She had hoped to avoid the subject for tonight. It was already consuming most of her thoughts without having to speak more about it. “Indeed they have. It chills me to think of how many people lost their lives at Arianrhod, and to know that they possess the power to wipe out so many in a single spell.”

Byleth just nodded. “I know. I wonder if we did enough, considering.”

Edelgard found herself beginning to tense up. A rare occurrence when she stood arm and arm with Byleth. “Considering what, exactly?”

“Because of what happened, and our role in it. They’re our allies, El. We willingly worked with them, and still do.”

Edelgard was silent in response. She was not in the mood for Byleth to be starting another fight, not when Byleth knew what was happening and went along with it. “We gave no orders to do what they did. The attack on Arianrhod was an attack on us, not from us. It was punishment from my uncle for harming one of his allies.”

“That still makes them our allies too.” Byleth glanced downward. “The same people who massacred a village and killed my father.”

Edelgard had heard enough, frustration pushing her to speak. “Do you forget you’re not the only one who’s suffered at their hands, Byleth? Have you forgotten what I told you about the things that they did to me? ” Edelgard knew she was being defensive, but at this point didn’t care. “I know I said it was a mistake to ally myself to them before, but what would you have me do? I despise them every bit as much as you do, but even if they were not also taking up arms against the Church, to oppose them now would bring ruin to us. We can fight the Church and the Immaculate One, or those who slither in the dark, but if were were to fight a war on two fronts, surely someone with your mind can see that we would fail. The sacrifices we’ve made, the friends we’ve crossed blades with, it all amounts to nothing if we decide to fight them here and now, no matter what they’re guilty of doing. The Church survives, and continues to enforce the very order which forces thousands to suffer.” Edelgard paused to take a breath, and gather her composure. “I know you support the cause and see the wisdom in it, but what good does moralizing to me about what I already know accomplish? Are we supposed to stop, and leave the world broken because of Arianrhod?”

To Edelgard’s surprise, Byleth looked to her not with coldness and judgement. Rather, she looked completely exhausted in a way Edelgard couldn’t ever remember seeing before. She tried to force a thin smile, but the sorrow and tiredness in Byleth’s eyes betrayed her. “Edelgard, you’re misunderstanding me. I’m not bringing it up to judge you, because I’m in no position to judge. I chose to follow you. I’m a general in your army. I know about those who slither in the dark. Maybe I didn’t know they’d wipe out a city, maybe I’d have stopped them if I could, but I helped put them in a position where they could do it.” She averted her gaze. “I condemned you for it before, but now I’ve done just the same. I’m responsible for what happened. At least in part.”

Edelgard was struck silent for a moment. She had been prepared for an argument with Byleth, not for her to blame herself and seem so resigned. It made her both more sympathetic to and more infuriated with her. How was she supposed to respond to something like that? “So do we just cease, then? Allow ourselves to be lost to guilt and-”

“No.” Byleth interjected. Edelgard found herself taken aback by the interruption. Byleth had always listened to whatever she had to say, and now she was cutting her off. “I know we don’t stop. I know we take Fhirdiad. I know we stop Rhea. I don’t want to give up and lay down, and I’m not going to let what happened tonight affect my promise. But...” Byleth looked up at Edelgard, once again meeting her gaze. She looked hesitant to speak again, as though she were terrified her next words might disappoint Edelgard. “How do you get through the worst of the guilt?” 

Edelgard was stunned into silence once again. Byleth, the woman who was almost always her anchor, seemed genuinely vulnerable. “You mean the casualties of battle?”

Byleth shook her head. “The people who fight for the Church are different. Even my old friends… they made their choice to defend what the Church has done. I mean the people who get caught up in the middle. The people who didn’t get a choice about fighting. Like Arianrhod.”

“I…” Edelgard gave Byleth’s arm a small tug, sitting down on the bench with her. She leaned against her as she thought of how to word her answer, hoping the contact would be of some comfort to her beloved. “I remind myself of my ultimate goal, and all the lives that are at stake if we fail. I remind myself that if we stop or slow down, then those people perished for nothing. I remind myself of the peace that awaits us at the end of this road. Most of all, I remind myself that justice delayed is not justice denied.” Edelgard clenched her hands into fists, feeling anger welling within her at the mere thought of those monsters. “Once we regroup after the war, we will bring every last one of them to justice. It is not a matter of if they face the consequences of their actions, but when. As Emperor, I swear not a single one of them will escape the judgement awaiting them.” She then found herself taking Byleth’s hand, and looking her in the eye. “I know this path is difficult, my teacher. I swear to you, though, we will avenge all those who lost their lives or suffered at the hands of those who slither in the dark.”

“That’s it, then? Just keep moving on, and hope to make it right later?”

Edelgard nodded. “It’s all we can do. If we don’t act, nothing changes. If we stop, we give up progress. If we change course, the path leads to disaster. If we do anything else but carry on, we lose our chance to make anything right. If we’re to unite Fodlan and bring prosperity to her people, we need to be strong and do what we must.” She paused for just a moment. “It’s the only way to survive.”

Byleth gave her hand a small squeeze, and smiled. “Looks like the years only changed you so much.”

“Byleth?”

“The first time you talked about the crest stones. You knew the pain they caused, and what needed to be done to stop it. You were always so certain, never backing down, even then. Even when it came to what happened to my father…”

“I… I admit I might have been a bit harsh towards you, then.” Edelgard frowned.

“Maybe. We avenged him, though. We put an end to the people responsible for Remire, at least.” She glanced at her. “The right thing to do was to act. You reminded me of that.”

“Then I am glad I could do that, my teacher.” Edelgard smiled a bit.

“I think that’s why it’s so easy to keep my promise to you, El. Even when times are tough, you never stop. You don’t just talk of changing the world, you do it.” Byleth returned the smile. “I’m sorry if I sounded accusatory before. I suppose I just needed a bit of certainty, and wanted to know your secret.”

“I don’t know that there’s a big secret I have. I have a cause, and simply vow to deal with the roadblocks now and the other dangers, and the pain later.”

Byleth nodded. “I need to remind myself that I have something to devote myself to fully as well.”

“Hm?”

Byleth leaned in to give Edelgard a quick kiss on the lips. “You, Your Majesty.”

Edelgard blushed at this kiss, though it certainly wasn’t unwelcome. “I suppose I’m simply so accustomed to you providing light and guidance, I forget that you might need the same.” She leaned back in. “Let’s light each other’s path on these last steps.”

Byleth nodded, and met Edelgard’s lips. Whatever might happen that could make moving forward difficult, they both knew they would take those steps together.


End file.
